How far will Ukraine’s ideas go for its own atomic bomb? President Zelenskyj is bringing this variant into play as an alternative to joining NATO. The partners will have to answer this.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is putting pressure on Western allies with hints about his country’s possible nuclear armament. At a summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels, he reiterated his call for a rapid invitation to NATO membership. Otherwise, his country, which is being attacked by Russia, would only be left with nuclear rearmament. “What way out do we have? Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons or we will have to be in some alliance,” he said. Apart from NATO, he doesn’t know of any functioning alliances.
The demand for a quick NATO invitation and other points of Zelenskyj’s so-called victory plan are also likely to be topics during US President Joe Biden’s short visit to Berlin on Friday. A meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is planned. Afterwards, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron expand the group to a quartet.
Scholz says no to Kiev’s demands
Chancellor Scholz justified his rejection of central points in Zelensky’s victory plan with concerns about further escalation. Scholz said in Brussels that we have a responsibility to ensure that the war between Russia and Ukraine does not become a war between Russia and NATO. There is no change in his rejection of the transfer of long-range Taurus cruise missiles. “I don’t think that’s a correct delivery and it stays that way.”
Zelensky had previously publicly called on Scholz to deliver Taurus cruise missiles. In his opinion, a deterrent missile arsenal could be a way to force Russia into peace negotiations.
Even if NATO is invited quickly, Scholz is on the brakes. The Chancellor referred to the resolutions of the recent NATO summit in Washington. There, the alliance states had simply agreed to give Ukraine a general assurance that it could no longer be stopped on its way into the defense alliance.
Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two and a half years. The night of Friday began with another air alert for the north of the country, including the capital Kiev. The Ukrainian Air Force detected numerous Russian combat drones in the sky.
Zelensky: “We are not making atomic bombs”
In further statements in Brussels, Zelensky tried to dampen fears about nuclear weapons. There are no concrete plans. “We are not making nuclear bombs,” he said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. At the same time, he once again referred to the agreements made in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 that were not kept. At that time, Ukraine gave up the Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its territory. In return, the nuclear powers promised the country security, but this did not work, said Zelensky.
As a security guarantee, Ukraine is now asking for a quick invitation to NATO. “An invitation would provide diplomatic support to Ukraine,” said Zelensky. That’s why this is central to his victory plan. He also pointed out how many weapons systems from NATO countries are already in use in Ukraine and how close the cooperation is. It would be wrong to leave Ukraine out politically when it is already practically integrated.
For Ukraine’s Western partners, Zelensky presents a difficult and hardly acceptable alternative. Important NATO states such as the USA and Germany do not want to commit to a clear path for Ukraine into the alliance for fear of an escalation with Russia. At the same time, the international community is trying to prevent the emergence of further nuclear powers. The new NATO Secretary General Rutte pointed out that the alliance had fundamentally promised Ukraine accession. “Ukraine will be a NATO member,” he said. However, Rutte did not give a timetable.
Trump again questions Ukraine aid
In the USA, presidential candidate Donald Trump blamed Zelensky for the Russian war of aggression. “He should never have allowed this war to break out,” said the Republican in a podcast with YouTuber Patrick Bet-David. The ex-president once again questioned US aid. “I think Zelensky is one of the best profiteers I’ve ever seen. Every time he comes, we give him $100 billion. Who else in history has gotten that much money? This has never happened before.”
In fact, the USA is Ukraine’s most important supporter. Since the war began in February 2022, Biden’s government has provided more than $50 billion in military aid to Kiev – significantly less than Trump claimed.
More tanks from Germany
Germany has delivered another 20 Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. Ukraine also received another eight Leopard 1 main battle tanks, according to the federal government’s updated list of weapons deliveries. The federal government also listed an Iris-T SLM and an Iris-T SLS air defense system. Their delivery had already been confirmed beforehand. Ukraine also received 6 2000 self-propelled howitzers and 24,000 rounds of 155 mm caliber artillery ammunition.
In addition, Ukraine expects the arrival of six promised F-16 fighter jets from Norway in the near future. Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow announced this after a bilateral meeting with his Norwegian colleague Bjørn Arild Gram at NATO. Umyerov also suggested that Norway, like Denmark, could directly support Ukrainian defense factories. The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium have together promised Ukraine more than 60 US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
